VIII. All the power of Satan in the world over any of the sons of men is founded in sin and the guilt of death attending it. Death entered by sin; the guilt of sin brought it in. Herewith comes in Satan’s interest, without which he could have no more to do in the earth than he hath in heaven. And according as sin abounds or is subdued, so his power is enlarged or straitened. As he is a spirit, he is mighty, strong, wise; as sinful, he is malicious, subtle, arabi- tious, revengeful, proud. Yet none of all these gives him his power. He that made him can cause his sword to pierce unto him, and pre- serve man, though weak and mortal, from all his force as a mighty spirit, and his attempts as a wicked one. And yet these are the things in him that men are generally afraid of, when yet by them he cannot reach one hair of their heads. But here lies the founda- tion of his power, even in sin, which so few regard. Then,—
IX. All sinners out of Christ are under the power of Satan. ‘They belong unto that kingdom of death whereof he is the prince and ruler. “The whole world lies év r@ covypyi,”—“ in the power of this wicked one.” If the guilt of death be not removed from any, the power of the devil extends unto them. A power it is, indeed, that is regulated. Were it sovereign or absolute, he would continually devour. But it is limited unto times, seasons, and degrees, by the will of God, the judge of all. But yet great it is, and answerable unto his titles, the prince, the god of the world. And however men may flatter themselves, as the Jews did of old, that they are free,
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if they are not freed by an interest in the death of Christ, they are in bondage unto this beastly tyrant; and as he works effectually in them here, he will ragingly inflict vengeance on them hereafter.
8. He is destroyed: “ Destroy him.” The sense and importance of the word here used was before declared. It is not applied unto the nature, essence, or being of the devil, but unto his power in and over death; as it is elsewhere declared, John xii, 31, “ Now is the judgment of this world, now is the prince of this world cast out.” That which is here called the destroying of the devil, is there called the casting out of the prince of this world. It is the casting him out of his power, from his princedom and rule; as Col. ii. 15, “ Having spoiled principalities and powers, he made an open show of them, triumphing over them in his cross;” as conquerors used to do when they had not slain the persons of their enemies, but de- prived them of their rule, and led them captive. The destruction, then, here intended of “him that had the power of death,” is the dissolution, evacuation, and removing of that power which he had in and over death, with all the effects and consequences of it,
4, The means whereby Satan was thus destroyed is also expressed, Tt was “by death,” by his own death, This of all others seemed the most unlikely way and means, but indeed was not only the best, but the only way whereby it might be accomplished. And the manner how it was done thereby must be declared and vindicated. The fourfold power of Satan in reference unto death, before men- tioned, was all founded in sin. The obligation of the sinner unto death was that which gave him all his power. The taking away, then, of that obligation must needs be the dissolution of his power. ‘The foundation being removed, all that is built upon it must needs fall to the ground, Now this, in reference unto the children for whom he died, was done in the death of Christ,—irtwally in his death itself, actually in the application of it unto them. When the sinner ceaseth to be obnoxious unto death, the power of Satan ceaseth also, And this every one doth that hath an interest in the death of Christ: for “there is no condemnation unto them that are in Christ Jesus,” Rom. viii. 1; and this because he died. He died for their sins, took that death upon himself which was due unto them; whieh being conquered thereby, and their obligation thereunto ceasing, the power of Satan is therewith dissolved. The first branch of his power consisted in the bringing of sin into the world, This is dissolved by Christ’s “ taking away the sin of the world,” John i. 29; which he did as “the Lamb of God,” by the sacrifice of himself in his death,
typified by the paschal lamb and all other sacrifices of old. Again,
his power consisted in his rule in the world, as cast under sin and death, From this he was cast out, John xii. 31, in the death of Christ. When contending with him for the continuance of his
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sovereignty, he was conquered, the ground whereon he stood, even the guilt of sin, being taken away from under him, and his title de- feated. And actually believers are translated from under his rule, from the power of darkness, into the kingdom of light and of the Son of God. Nor can he longer make use of death ag penal, as threatened in the curse of the law, to terrify and affright the con- sciences of men: for “being justitied by faith” in the death of Christ, “they have peace with God,” Rom. v. 1. Christ making peace be- tween God and us by the blood of his cross, Eph, ii, 14, 15, 2 Cor. v. 19-21, the weapons of this part of his power are wrested out of his hand, seeing death hath no power to terrify the conscience, but as it expresseth the curse of God. And, lastly, his final execution of the sentence of death upon sinners is utterly taken out of his hand by the death of Christ, inasmuch as they for whom he died shall never undergo death penally. And thus was Satan, as to his power over death, fully destroyed by the death of Christ. And all this depended on God’s institution, appointing the satisfactory sufferings of Christ, and accepting them instead of the sufferings of the chil- dren thernselves.